


From the Pages of History

by MusingSoul



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: AU, Multi, Romance, Time Shenanigans, a bit of angsty Marth, occasionally has a bit of tone whiplash, silly stuff, x-post from FFN
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-16 05:03:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11821785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusingSoul/pseuds/MusingSoul
Summary: 'Chrom had a unique talent for finding people asleep in fields it seemed. This time, however, he found someone entirely different. Someone from the pages of history. And, for all my vaunted knowledge, I have no clue how, or why, they are here.' -Robin, Tactician of House Ylisse- In which Marth wakes up in a field, two thousand years in the future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So…welcome to a weird little side project of mine. This developed out of a conversation with Aura of Twilight (who is genuinely awesome), and well, the results are before you. This story is either going to be in three or six parts….depending on exactly how I decide to divide it up.
> 
> Standard Disclaimer: None of this stuff is mine. Wish it was, but sadly, tis not.

"You seem to have a unique talent there Chrom." The voice was not one I familiar with. I groaned, and opened one eye, only to rapidly close it again, due to the beating sun.

It was at that moment that realization sank in. I was not sleeping in my bed. The grass I was laying on, at least I assumed it was grass, was reasonably soft at least. The ground beneath was hard, but nothing that I was truly unused to. A few different wars had left me without much issue sleeping just about anywhere, so the sleeping on grass was not cause for alarm, but my lack of memory as to how I got here was.

"Oh stuff it." This voice was male, and seemed rather exasperated with the situation. I blinked my eyes open again.

"Mom's right!" This voice was close to the first voice, and seemed far too cheerful. "You do have a talent for it."

Three people stood over me. Two of them were obviously related, with matching long, dark purple hair, and angular, but alluringly beautiful faces. Sharp grey eyes surveyed me. The rest of the two woman was obscured by long purple cloaks, stitched in intricate runes, and waving about in the slight breeze.

They flanked a man wearing the garb of a nobleman, if only one sleeve. An elaborate tattoo was upon his bared shoulder, and a familiar hilt adorned his hip.

"Good morning!" The younger of the two woman smiled at me as I opened my eyes and slowly sat up. "I can't imagine that was a terribly good sleep."

"Morgan!" The other woman, chided. "Be nice." She turned to me, with a relatively warm expression and guarded eyes. "I apologize for waking you." She gave a slight bow.

"It is no trouble." I frowned, looking about. A green field stretched outwards, in the distance, a small forest, and a town. With a sinking feeling, it was becoming apparent that I had no clue where I was. "If you don't mind, I appear to be rather lost. If you could give me some idea where I am, I would appreciate it."

All three of them exchanged looks. The youngest, Morgan gave a brief nod, and vanished in a twirl of lightening and magic. The man gave a bit of a long suffering sign, as if I had said something that he had heard a thousand times before.

"Of course." He told me, offering a hand. I accepted it, standing slowly, and then jumping when something thumped against my leg. Glancing down, I realized that Falchion was at my hip, making me frown. Even during the war, I did not sleep wearing my sword. "My name is Chrom. This is Robin, my advisor, tactician, and friend." The aforementioned woman gave me a nod, her hands vanishing into the cloak that surrounded her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." I replied. "I am Marth."

The look the two of them exchanged was one dry amusement, and exasperation.

"That date means nothing to me." Only two hours later, I found myself sitting across from Robin in a tent, eating breakfast, and feeling very confused. The name of the continent I was on, Ylisse, did not ring any bells, and the date even less. Robin seemed utterly unsurprised by that, which I found odd.

"Grima damnit." The woman leaned forwards, rubbing her temples, expression blank, and I was rapidly coming to understand that she was feeling very frustrated with someone, or something, aside from me.

"Grima damnit?" I asked, between bites of food. Whoever the cook was, they were fantastic, and I made a mental note to determine who it was, and thank them. This time, Robin did give me a strange look, which was replaced by a tired expression, before sighing.

"Grima damnit" She repeated. "Naga as well." Leaning back in her chair, Robin considered me. "It seems we need to have a long conversation." Her lips curled in amusement, however it did not reach her eyes.

I frowned. "Why?" I asked. The amusement in her expression struck me as bitter. It seemed to me that all that had happened was I teleported off somewhere, perhaps by Gotoh, or someone else with less savory.

Robin's eyes gleamed. "Based upon what I know, and have learned, and can extrapolate, you have ended up more than two thousand years into what would be your future."

My heart skipped a beat. "What?" I spluttered. Robin expression remained deathly serious, leading me to believe she was not joking. "How? What?" I spluttered, unable to really wrap my head around the idea. Two thousand years into the future? Was that even possible?

"I have no idea how, precisely, and even less as to why." That drew a bit of a sigh out of her. "Which is frustrating. I have asked Morgan to see if Lucina can drag answers out of Naga, who might know." She paused, and my eyes widened, the realization sinking in.

"Naga. As in the Divine Dragon Naga." I repeated. What? Someone communing with Naga? Even did Tiki couldn't do that, so far as I knew.

Robin gave a sharp nod, not even a bit of the motion wasted, which suited her well. "The very same. She is a bit of a bitch, at least to me." Here, another bitter sweet smile crossed her face. "And even moreso to my daughter." So, I was right. Morgan was Robin's daughter. That was good to know, I supposed. Or, at least, explained the visual similarities. "I have made inquiries of the Spirit of Grima, although he called me some less than savory things in the process, but seems clueless."

The amount of information left me reeling. "Who is Grima?" I demanded, not knowing the name. "How can anyone commune with the Gods? Even the greatest of holy men can't do that?" I tried to form more questions but my lips just sort of flapped uselessly.

Robin remained quiet, patiently waiting until I stopped, slumping into the chair, my breakfast forgotten. When I stilled, she leaned forwards, her expression less cold, and eyes sad.

"The relationship we have with Naga is very different than what existed for you." Robin sighed, shaking her head. "Why don't I leave you to finish eating, and then you can come back to the Capitol with us, and we can explain more, and hopefully, I will have more answers for you."

I considered, before nodding. Her proposal was a good one, I supposed. None of us had information. Robin stood, and for a moment, that wall that she seemed to keep up dropped, and her expression became a bit more compassionate, a bit more human.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." She seemed to want to say more, but settled for just slipping from the tent, her cloak flapping behind her.

The journey to the north crossed many more fields, and rolling hills. As we rode, I watched Robin and Chrom closely, Morgan having departed already.

They were close friends, that much was obvious by the way that Robin would gently rib Chrom, or the way that he seemed to exist inside of the shell, projected to the outside world, as though to insulate himself from something. Chrom, however, was not Morgan Father, I suspected, although at this point it was not something I could easily prove either way. What was telling, however was the interactions the two of them had with the ordinary people we encountered.

Both Robin and Chrom seemed to be regarded as heroes by the people we encountered. Neither seemed terribly comfortable with that title, but the people almost worshiped the ground the duo walked on. Robin seemed less comfortable with this than Chrom, who seemed to take it more in stride, but was none the less obviously uncomfortable with being fawned over. However, they both would always talk to the people we encountered, listen to their problems, and occasionally Robin's hands would glow with magic, offering a little bit of help to the people. On these occasions, the people would smile, and cheer, and Robin would always wearing this expression of great discomfort with her situation.

On occasion they would speak of a group they referred to the as the Shepherds, telling the people tales of heroic deeds by other warriors. The people always seemed to bring up references to heroic and great battles that Robin had commanded, or evil men Chrom had slain. Once, when a group of excited children asked Chrom about slaying a man named Walhart, his face had gone just a bit ashen. Robin too, looked askance, her hands drifting inside her cloak, the only obvious sign of her discomfort I had seen yet.

As we left the village, I asked about what had happened.

"There are some people that did not deserve the fate we were forced to enact upon them." Robin's words were toneless, devoid of even the chill I had almost come to associate with her in the short time since I awoke.

I frowned, but did not press the question. It was obviously a sore subject for them both, and I had more than enough memories of that nature, to think pressing the issue was wise.

Chrom, as it turned out, was the Lord of these lands, which explained his introduction of Robin, as an advisor and tactician. I watched him sigh in frustration as his soldiers bowed to him, and gently admonish them that no such gesture was required. A brief flash of relief that I was not the only one who had such problems filled me the first time I bore witness to such an event. Another pang filled my chest, as I realized I might never see my soldiers, my people, again. I caught Robin's gaze, and looked away, trying to hide the lump in my throat. I suspected the woman knew.

"See! I told you!" Morgan's delighted cackle filled the air, as I found myself surrounded by a group of people that was as boisterous as it was eclectic. Robin's daughter capered about, her face alight with manic glee. I tried my best to focus on that, and not on the constant barrage of questions that assailed me. My ears pounded, and I could feel my heartrate build.

"Alright enough!" Suddenly, everything was silent. Heads snapped around, and I even found my gaze drawn in the direction of the speaker.

A young woman, her hair matching Chrom's strode into the room, moving with the same precise air of the man I assumed to be her father. Calm blue eyes swept across the room.

"Hi Lucina!" Morgan bounded over to the new arrival, the only person not struck silent by the command. The now named Lucina gave Morgan a glance before addressing the room at large.

"Let the man breathe, for Naga's sake." She reprimanded a bit. "I thought Father asked you all to leave him alone anyways?"

Sheepish looks flashed across the group, who backed off, muttering apologies. As they did, I pushed back my emotions, realizing with a start that Lucina looked very similar to me, in terms of dress. I vaguely recalled Robin making some remark about how Chrom's daughter had apparently been bitten by fate, or some such, but without context, I had ignored it.

"Prince Marth." Lucina gave me a short incline of her head. "If you would follow me, Father and Robin would like to talk to you." Giving the woman a bit of a forced smile, I nodded. Lucina turned, striding from the room.

Morgan followed, her presence only noticeable due to the swooshing of her cloak. "Sorry about them." Lucina's voice was soft, and metered, giving the impression that she gave great consideration to her words. Her expression, at least what I could see of it, was drawn fairly tight, almost from frustration. "I know they mean well but meeting all of the Shepherds can be…" This time, she faltered over her words.

"Overwhelming." Morgan filled in without pause. "Lucina had it easy." There was good natured ribbing to that. The aforementioned girl shrugged.

"If you call explaining our situation to my Father and your Mother easy." Was the immediate reply. I got the sense this was an old argument between the two.

"I suspect I am missing something." I observed, making both young woman chuckle.

"Hopefully Mother has a way to send you home, and you never have to find out." Morgan's tone was serious, which seemed off based for the previously flighty young woman. I caught the tension in Lucina's eyes at those words however.

Lucina already knew what Robin was going to tell me, I realized. I didn't know how Lucina knew, but Lucina knew. And it wasn't news that Lucina liked. My heart clenched. Somewhere deep down, the realization that I wasn't going home started to form. There wasn't really another explanation.

The rest of the walk happened in silence, and I found myself gripping the pommel of my Falchion tightly.

At last, we stopped before a plain, unadorned office door, which Lucina pushed open without knocking. Inside, at a desk that was absolutely covered in papers, maps, and various other items was Robin, she was pouring over a vast tome that was easily visible over the piles around it, even from a distance. At our entry, she looked up, expression curiously blank.

"Lucina. Morgan. Marth." She greeted each of us in turn. Lucina stepped into the room, slipping around the desk with an ease of long practice to not disturb the many precariously piled items on and around it, and took a seat on the arm of Robin's chair. Morgan meanwhile moved to stand a window relatively near the corner. I took the room's only chair, finding myself surprised by how comfortable it was.

Robin seemed to take a moment to consider what to say. I spoke up first.

"You can't send me back can you? Back home." I asked.

Their faces told all. Lucina's expression didn't change. Morgan's eyes went sad. Robin's jaw tightened.

"Naga doesn't know how you arrived. Neither does Grima." Robin sighed. "Without any idea how you got here, we don't have a way to send you home." There was a pause. "Or any clue how far in time you might have been displaced."

Even though I had been ready for this answer, I still wasn't. My vison swam for a moment, as I forgot to breathe. The Falchion hummed beneath my hand, but I didn't find comfort in that.

I was alone. That realization was slow to sink in.

I was alone, stuck in a strange place, surrounded by heroes of near mythic status in this land. I was a legend to these people, larger than life even by the myths that seemed to surround these Shepherds. I was even more alone than at home, where at least I had my friends. Here, I had nothing.

Again, my eyes swam. Hot tears threatened to spill, and I didn't fight them.

I had been in Ylisse three weeks. I had slept well only half those days, and eaten probably less. They were subtle, but I felt the concerned gazes of Robin and Chrom on occasion. A few of the Shepherds would come and talk to me on occasion. Mostly though, they just left me alone.

I was alone. That was the reality of this situation. I was alone. I had no connection to anyone here, and sometimes it seemed the inevitable wall that had separated me from many back at home existed here. Everyone in that group had suffered through hell together, and that bound them tighter than blood ever could. Few bonds could exceed those forged in the crucible of war. That was something I knew from experience.

Glancing up at the stars, I sighed. Logically, I knew I should go inside, out of the cold. Maybe eat something, or maybe sleep.

"What the hell are you doing up here?" The voice wasn't one I recognized, and I turned a bit to eye the speaker.

Her name, I knew, was Severa. Morgan would occasional complain to me about her, complete with the sort of over the top hand gestures and exaltations I had come to expect from Robin's exceptionally strange daughter. Conversation with Robin herself shed a bit more light, but comparatively little.

"I'm watching the stars." I replied. Severa snorted, glaring at me.

"You're an awful liar." She declared, moving to stand over me. "At least put some effort into your lies." I could see why Morgan got frustrated, as that sort of attitude was rather abrasive.

"I suppose I shouldn't ask what brings you up here then." I challenged, not wanting to discuss what I was doing on the castle roof at midnight. Severa sat down, glare at me.

"God." She muttered. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you." To my surprise, I realized there were tears in her eyes. A silence lapsed between us, as I was willing to wait for her to talk. "Nightmares." She mumbled eventually.

I frowned. Nightmares? For a group that I got the impression had all but walked into hell, I suspected the average run of the mill nightmare would not be cause for disappearing onto the roof. Brief flashes of my own night terrors rose up, the snarling visage of the Dark Dragon as he towered above us, my own screaming when my companions died, only to awaken moments later.

"From your war." The words more closely resembled a statement then a question, but she nodded none the less.

"Yeah." A bitter smile crossed her face. "It's been a while, and yet, the still happen." The bitterness drifted into her tone as well. "I don't understand how I can be so weak."

That made me frown. How did having nightmares make her weak? It had been over a decade since my last war, but on occasion the dreams still came back, especially in the days before I had ended up here.

"The nightmares don't make you weak Severa." I replied at length. She turned, eyes flashing, a snarl of anger on her face. "They don't." My voice was firmer. "It's been ten years since my last war, and I still will wake up screaming on occasion. The sight of Medeus flashed behind my eyes, and I shivered. "There is nothing wrong with having them." I felt a bit of my own bitterness creep in. "It's only human."

Severa stared at me, her expression inscrutable. Uncomfortable, I returned my focus to the stars above. "You sound like Robin and Morgan." She observed after some time. "To wise for your own good." A long sigh escaped her. "Although that makes sense I guess."

A quick glance told me she had taken her focus elsewhere. "And what does that mean." I asked, feeling genuinely curious. Severa shrugged.

"Morgan says that we all have adapted to the hell we lived through different means. Lucina throws herself into protecting others, and hides all her emotions behind that barrier even her own sister barely gets through. Nah just grew up too fast, Yarne lives in fear of his own shadow. Inigo womanizes, Owain has his high fantasy, and theatrics." Her gaze swept out over the city. "Cynthia refuses to let go of her childish ideals of heroism, because it lets her believe that somehow, someway, things will get better. That we can fix it." My heart clenched, and I remembered something Robin had said once, during one of my conversations with her about the people I found myself surrounded by.

They were just children Marth, when their world ended. They were just children, fighting against a god, fighting for their very survival, because that was the only option they were presented. They could either fight, or they could die. And they chose to live, and now they pay the price.

Severa kept talking, her head bowing a bit. "I…I just push everyone away." She shook her head. "Push and push and push and push, until one by one, they all back off, and leave me alone, to wallow in my own misery." I almost spoke up, but decided against it, content to just wait for her to finish. She seemed to need to get this off her chest. "I'm the only one who should have to deal with my own problems, no one else needs to get dragged down with me." There was a silence. "So why do they keep fucking trying!" She almost screamed the last part, as if forgetting I was there.

Again, memories rose, of my wife, then fiancé, demanding to know what was bothering me, and refusing to take no for an answer. I remembered her decisive statement that, I couldn't keep everything bottled up forever. That I needed someone to lean on, and although I refused to repeat her exact words, the point that she intended to be that person was conveyed well.

"Because they care about you." My voice drifted across the utterly still night, startling even me. "Someone once told me, in explicit and quite certain terms, that I could not bottle all my fears, my regrets, and worries up inside forever." Tears started to form in my eyes, as I was reminded of her. I could still recall every detail of it all. "I suspect that is what they are trying to show you Severa. That they care. That they don't want to see you fall down a path I suspect Robin and Morgan walked for a long time."

As I spoke, Severa seemed to grow angry, until I mentioned Robin and Morgan. That, it seemed to get her attention. "What do you mean?" She demanded. "A path you suspect Robin and Morgan walked?"

Taking a deep breath, I sat up. "How many people actually know Morgan on a personal level?" I asked. The question, I was surprised to discover, made Severa pause.

"Three maybe?" She paused. "It's hard to say with Morgan. She's never been very forthright about wanting to associate with other people, and she tends to be a bit cold, behind the way she acts in public." Severa's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Instead of answering I asked a second question. "And how recent a development was that? I'm willing to bet my sword-arm that it wasn't until recently that Morgan formed any sort of emotional connection with anyone."

"Yes." Severa paused. "How do you know that?"

My chuckle had no mirth. "I've lived through two wars Severa." I paused, considering. "I've read the histories of me that you have, and they are woefully incomplete, and sometimes flat out inaccurate…. Two wars leaves a lot of scars on someone, and for a long time I didn't let anyone in. I did what Morgan, Robin and you do. I bottled everything up, didn't let others see. I ran from my nightmares, dodged my fears, and plowed ahead under a façade of surety, and self-confidence."

Severa seemed to sense something in my tone, for I had her rapt attention. "And?" She prompted.

I turned away, looking up to the stars, watching the way they would wink, and flicker. "Someone called my bluff." I whispered. "And it all came crashing down, in a ball of fire, blood and death." Memories continued to dance behind my eyes. "And then someone I didn't deserve picked me up again."

Thoughts of her danced through my head, and I found myself wishing I didn't have those memories any longer. They had been painful enough then, and were only worse now. "You aren't up here because of nightmares, are you?" I probed a bit, at length. Severa jerked.

"No." She whispered. "I'm not."

I didn't ask further questions. If she wanted to talk, she would talk. I didn't offer more advice either. If she wanted that, she had but to ask.

I didn't find out what actual brought Severa to the roof of the castle every so often that night, or even the next time. I still didn't eat much, and slept little. Robin still gave me worried glances. I kept to myself. It was better that way. That way, I didn't have to remember, and I didn't have to live with an illusion of inclusion, and return to loneliness after that.

I spent the nights I didn't sleep watching the stars. They were the same stars as back home, I knew. Memories of many a night under those stars flashed behind my eyes, and I felt tears start to form. I remembered, against my own will, so many things. The little details. The way her lips curved as she smiled, the musical tone of her voice, the warmth of her skin when I woke, my own limbs clammy from my dreams.

A muffled sob broke me from my musings. I glanced around. Severa didn't sob, I knew from experience. She raged. So whoever this wasn't, it wasn't Severa. The sound of footsteps grew.

A head of hair the same color as Lucina and Chrom's appeared, followed by a thin young woman, her face blotched with tears and rage. It was readily apparent she did not see me, as she started shouting profanity at the stars.

"Why is she such a bitch! And why do I even care!" Was the first portion I managed to understand.

"Cynthia?" I guessed at her name, based upon the time and the ranting. The young woman jumped, whirling about with a shriek of surprise.

"M-Marth! I…I..um…" She trailed off, and just sort of collapsed in a heap on the roof. After a moment of considering, I decided against approaching her. Like all of the other children, as their group was known, Cynthia was picky about being touched, and could react rather violently when surprised. Another of the many scars left by their war.

"I'm sorry!" She exploded after a moment.

She was sorry? "You have nothing to apologize for." I replied, keeping my voice level. "Everyone needs to vent once in a while." She looked up and me, tears reflected by the moonlight.

"I…" She fumbled for words.

For a long time, I considered whether or not to pry. Although I talked rarely with much of anyone, I did occasionally converse with the Shepherds enough to know that Severa and Cynthia, if not a couple, were very close, and I had put enough pieces together to have my guess why Severa actually appeared on the room at night.

"It hurts, being told that you aren't needed, doesn't it?" I asked after a long time. Cynthia flinched.

"How do you know?" She muttered, turning away.

"An educated guess." I admitted. "I've never been in your shoes," I went on, "but I've been in hers." Cynthia's head turned slightly. "I spent a long time trying to keep people out. To keep them safe." I paused. "When you're in that mindset, I don't think you can realize that people really do care, that they want the best for you, and that they can, and will, help." I shivered, remembering something of the things I had said in my attempts to protect those around me. They called me Hero King. I was no hero, I knew. "This isn't the first time you two have fought, is it?" I asked.

Cynthia paused, glaring at me a bit. "You're worse than Morgan and Lucina put together." She paused. "No, it isn't. It's just the worst. She was being a jerk and….and…Then it just kept going."

My gaze turned to the stars once more. It wasn't especially a surprise, to me. In the weeks before she and I had finally had it out, and we had fought more and more. We were not a perfect couple, as I knew the stories liked to claim. We fought, just like anyone else, and we had our differences, but we reconciled them, we worked them out, and we moved forwards. Our marriage had been a good one, even for its- rocky start.

"And before either of you know what's really going on, your screaming at each other that you don't need each other, that the other one is a selfish bitch, and can go jump off a cliff." I surmised, quoting myself. Cynthia nodded, her tearstained cheeks gleaming in the moonlight.

"Yup." She nodded a bit, more tears starting to flow. I sighed. Why was it always me? I asked myself with a sigh. Why me?

"And now you're mad at her for what she said, mad at yourself for what you said, and just a generalized mess." Again she nodded. "It isn't my place to interfere, really," I began, "But I'm going to speak from a bit of experience." Cynthia nodded again. "Go talk to her. Not now, wait until morning." The young woman looked up, surprise written across her face. "I don't know any of you very well, but I'm reasonably sure she just as mad at herself as you are at her. And talk to her." Cynthia opened her mouth, and I forestalled her question. "And you have to listen too. A relationship, as a late friend of mine told me, is a two way street. You both have to try, and work together, but the reward is worth all the trails in the middle." I paused, watching the stars twinkle. "Severa cares for you a great deal, Cynthia, as evidence by the fact she tries so damn hard to get rid of you, speaking from experience."

The young woman gave a miserable nod, and I leaned forwards, looking her in the eye. "Nothing worth doing is ever easy. Apologize, and talk to each other. And listen." I paused. "And do Morgan a favor, and find a soundproof room, you know?"

Cynthia turned red as a tomato as my implication sunk in. "Marth!" She exclaimed, arms flailing. For the first time in days, I gave a dry chuckle. "You jerk!" I could at least see a bit of mirth returning to her eyes.

"I'll leave you be now." I stood, bowing a little, before I slipped down the stairs, my head pounding. Memories assailed me, the good, the bad, and everything in between. I wasn't sure where I was walking, at that point, just wanted to be away. Away from people, from anything that might remind me of her of nights under the stars, of the curses on my lips, of regrets, of being cold.

At some point, I collapsed in a corner, my tears finally breaking out, flowing down my cheeks.

I was alone. I had finally gotten that angry teenage wish. I was alone. And now that I was, I wanting nothing more than to not be any long. I wished I didn't wake up cold, screaming any more. I wished I was back home, where I at least had some shoulders to lean on. For an irrational moment, I wished I was with her again, no matter what that took. I shuddered, hearing the mocking laughter of the Dark Dragon in my ears. Gharnef's dying curses echoing behind that.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, as I stumbled into the Shepherds breakfast, I was relieved to see Severa and Cynthia leaning on each other. Dropping into a seat at the far end of the table, I was surprised was Chrom and his wife sat next across from me.

"Thank you." Sumia spoke after a bit of silence passed. I jerked, not expecting either of them to speak.

"Whatever for?" My voice was hoarse. What did they have to thank me for? Chrom's lips quirked, and his head shook a little bit.

"For our daughter's happiness." Sumia explained. "No one has been able to get through to her and Severa, until you." I shook my head. I hadn't done anything. I didn't want to have done anything. Those memories were too painful after all.

"I didn't do anything." I protested, causing Sumia to roll her eyes a bit. I refocused on my food, trying to eat at a slow, normal pace.

"Then thank you for doing nothing." Sumia replied. "This is the first time in a month I have seen my daughter happy." I glanced at Cynthia and Severa. Sumia's daughter was practically asleep on Severa's shoulder.

"Actually it's been longer than that." This time it was Nah, a manakete, who I had spoken to only once. She seem far too old for her years, as I saw it. "Lucina has been near her wits end over it. She and Robin have argued about it."

"So is that why they've been so loud lately?" Inigo dropped down beside Nah with a plat of his own. "Make-up sex?"

"Really?" Nah glared at her compatriot. "Can you be mature for once?" The words were scathing. The young man shrugged.

Several others laughed, adding in their own good natured ribbing. And before I knew it, I too had been dragged into conversation.

\--

The weeks drug on, and I found myself joining in the occasional sparing match, usually to the jubilation of the various guards who, while ignorant of my true identity, knew I was an expert swordsman, and loved to bet on the outcomes.

In truth, I enjoyed crossing blades with the Shepherds. Of them, few were truly my equal with the blade, the exceptions being Robin and Lucina, who seemed to have no equals besides Chrom. Nothing had surprised me more than that first day I spar with Robin. Her garb and mannerism had suggested tremendous skill in the magical arts, and I had seen her cast plenty of magic, but never seen her with a blade, although I soon realized the bulge under that cloak that I took for a tome or pouch was in fact her sword. Our first spar, she had calmly taken her stance, and proceeded to make a fool of me, in under five minutes.

Chrom later told me that lasting that long against her was incredible, and that I had defied the expectations of everyone. Later, after watching Chrom hold Robin at bay for some time, and Robin then dismantle several other Shepherds, I had to concede the woman was just flat better than me at that point. Watching Lucina defeat Robin was the most awe inspiring though.

As I had been told, for a while, Lucina had traveled under an alias of my name, which, after seeing her fight, left me feeling a bit flattered, and even more amazed. Morgan said that Lucina trained so hard to live up to borrowing my name, and the results showed.

I had shaken my head and remarked she had far exceeded me already. Morgan just laughed.

Often, after such days, I found myself regaled with stories of their war, of Robin and Chrom dueling the Mad King Gangrel, which varied depending on who told it. If you listened to Robin and Chrom, it was a harrowing duel, which pushed them to the limits. If you asked Vaike, Chrom got trounced, and Robin won it all. Sumia described it much as Chrom and Robin did, while some of Nowi made it sound like Gangrel had been all but hacked to pieces in a decisive battle. Every Shepherd told it just a bit different, but, I could recall my own comrades slight doctoring the stories as the time went.

I still kept apart from them, most of the time. Sometimes, I swore there was someone watching me in the shadows, but I could never prove a thing, and always gave up when I tried to search and came up empty.

Panting a bit from exertion, I sheathed Falchion, deciding I had worked myself the bone enough for one day. Wiping sweat from my brow, I paused to catch my breath.

"Coming Marth?" Cynthia dropped out of the sky, her Pegasus tossing its regal head with displeasure at having to land.

"Hm?" I gave her a questioning stare. Despite spending more time with the group, I still felt a bit like an outsider, leading me too often miss the subtle cues between them. Cynthia giggled.

"For a fly silly!" She replied. "Daddy wants to see you or something. Or maybe it was Robin, I dunno. Morgan didn't say." I rolled my eyes, but allowed Cynthia to drag me atop her Pegasus and take off.

Perhaps two weeks ago, such a thing would have brought a rush of memories that would have brought me to my knees. Now, although my heart clenched at the memories of flying with her I was able to prevent the tears from forming.

We alighted atop the castle, where Cynthia dropped me off, instructing me to do find her father, and took off again.

Drifting through the castle towards the disorganized little office that Robin had, I had to wonder what was going on. Neither Robin nor Chrom had been seen all day. Lucina knew why, I suspected, for she had an unusually somber air about her, but was tight lipped. None of the others knew, I suspected, as I drew up to the door.

For a moment, I hesitated, before raising my hand to knock. Before I could, the door clicked open, as if by magic. I glared at it, and stepped inside. The door clicked shut behind me.

Robin and Chrom having cleared two more chairs sat facing each other, with unusually somber expressions.

"Marth." Robin greeted me with a nod. Her hair dropped over her face, and she flipped it back into place with a glare. "Have a seat." She gestured at the other empty chair, which I dropped into, before realizing that there was some variety of alcohol on the table.

"I'm not sure what I'm doing here?" I asked. Chrom chuckled.

"I'm guessing you've figured out that something is up today?" he asked. I nodded a bit, unsure where this was going.

Robin took over, "You've probably heard mention made of Walhart the Conquer on the occasion right?" At my nod, she went on. "Today is the today Chrom and I killed him." Robin's eyes darkened.

"I sense there is more to this story than that." I had an inkling of what was going on and poured myself a glass of whatever it was.

Robin nodded, leaning back. "Walhart was the greatest enemy we would ever face, according to everyone. Oppressive, soul crushing, and bringing the world to its knees. We were dragged into the conflict by an old ally, so to speak, although after seeing how the people in Walhart's lands, we didn't have too many qualms about the situation."

Chrom smoothly took over. "The odds of the war were not especially good, granted. Walhart had an army of a million men, and we had far fewer. Even as skilled as the Shepherds are, the numbers were too much."

"It wasn't the first time we faced long odds." Robin took over again, her eyes downcast. "We took his armies in pieces, taking them down into a size we could manage. The more we learned, the more we should have been able to guess what was happening." I frowned, refilling my drink without realizing I had drained it.

"The various people we met told wildly conflicting stories. In the north, tales of Walhart putting down tyrant lords and bandits prevailed. Supposedly he had the blessing of the Voice of Naga, even." Chrom exhaled. "The farther south we marched, the grimmer the tales became. Whispered words of extortions, murders, and more of those subjugated."

Despite the obvious amount the duo had drank, I thought, this story flowed well, as I refilled my drink yet again.

"Then, we killed Yen Fray. That was when I knew something was wrong." Robin sighed. "That was when we met Excellus." Her lips curled in wrathful anger. "And we marched north to confront Walhart at long last." The self-loathing in her eyes was painful. "Now, even the north, the tales of Walhart were getting worse and worse. And so we went to war."

"Before the gates of his castle the Conqueror faced us." Chrom began. "Filled with righteous fury, he demanded our surrender. And our blades crossed." A long sigh escaped the Exalt. "At the time, I was never prouder of my daughters, dueling the most feared man alive head on head, and winning. Never more scared either, as we fought frantically to assist them."

"We needn't have worried about that." Robin's words had become cold again. "He retreated into his castle, and we gave chase. This time, it was Chrom and I who led the charge, striking down the first of his generals, a man whose name is now long forgotten. Then, we faced Excellus. Never even in the Mad King's War did we meet a man who reveled in the bloody arts of war so much." Robin's tone had become a whisper. "He laughed, mocking us for being a pair of puppets dancing to his strings."

A pit grew in my stomach as I came to the realization, just I'm sure as Robin and Chrom had in the heat of the moment.

"In his dying breath, that bastard gloated of how he had played Walhart, had organized the war, all for the Fire Emblem, to give to Grima. He mocked us with that knowledge." Chrom filled is. The bottle on the table was more than half empty at this point.

"So I ripped his life from his bones." Robin sounded detached from that act. "And we tried to reason with Walhart."

"We failed." Chrom whispered. "He drew he axe, and went to his execution on our blades, having been a good man, led by the nose to his death."

My stomach clenched. I remember Hardin laying bleeding before me, defeated, and coming to his own horrible realization.

And I spoke in my own turn, telling my own tale of guilt, of having to slay my friend from the schemes of a madman.

I spoke of war, of loss. I told them of Marth, the man behind the Hero King. For hours we sat in that room, for that one day, letting our souls bleed.

\--

"The Voice of Naga is arriving tomorrow." Lucina was talking to a guard as I came around the corner. "You will ensure nothing goes ill." The man bowed to her.

"Yes Lady Lucina!" The guard bowed, and hurried away. Lucina caught sight of me, and gave me a smile.

"Hello Marth." She waited for me to draw even before walking alongside me.

"Lucina." I gave the woman who had borrowed my name a small smile and a nod. "What was that all about?"

She shrugged. "Lady Tiki is visiting, and Father is worried some insane Grimeal cultist will try something funny." She rolled her eyes. "As if the Grimeal will attack her here. Between Robin and Morgan, there is enough Fell Power in this castle to crush them with ease, never mind Father and I."

I vaguely heard the last part of her statement, but my brain sort of locked up on the name Tiki.

Mar-Mar! The pet name rang in my ears, along with the young girl tackling me in hugs. He bright smiles, and terrible power. I shook the memories off.

It was just a coincidence I told myself. She was a figure of legend, just like me, so it made sense the holy figures of Naga would be named for her. No doubt that was the case, after all, in the past, it had happened, so it would make sense that it would happen now. There was no reason to believe the little manakete who had been an unwavering companion would be here, even if Robin's time travel theory was right.

"Marth?" Lucina sounded concerned. "Are you alright?"

I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "Just fine. Memories." Lucina didn't look convinced, but nodded anyway.

\--

The next day found the Shepherds arrayed outside the castle, and Cordelia and Sumia retrieving me from the castle roof. I stood, feeling a bit askance behind the group, as the waited for this Tiki, to arrive. Even though I had convinced myself that she was just someone who had been given the name, and not the manakete, I still held onto a faint hope that she was my old companion.

A clamor from the city, rose up, and only a moment later, Robin gave a snort.

"She coming." The purple haired woman proclaimed, eyes gleaming almost in delight.

True to Robin's word, the gates of to the castle grounds opened, and in walked a person I had not been prepared for.

She flowed over the earth with the sort of calm and poise that I had never seen before. Robin and Lucina came close, but even they could not match the literal inhuman air this woman possessed. Had I need seen her feat touch the ground I would have sworn she floated over the earth.

The shade of green was fairly light, with sharply pointed ears slipping out from beneath it, leading my eyes back to the rest of her hair, which was held up by a dark red leather ribbon. Just over her forehead was a familiar tiara. My breath hitched. Her eyes were a different shade of green than her hair, brighter and shimmering with life. A small half smile lingered on her lips.

With a gulp, I made the mental admission that she was beautiful. A cape of some silvery material flowed down her back, ending about her hip, with a collar rising up around her neck, standing in a bit of contrast to her pale skin, and the golden metal choker about her neck. Her brown tunic was remarkably form fitting, in such a manner as to very much flatter her figure. Tall, lightly heeled leather books stretched up her legs, folding up at the top to reveal stockings that stopped a few inches farther up, leaving a relatively short stretch of pale skin visible before her tunic started again. A sash made of the same shimmering material as her cape held her tunic in place, as well as doing a very good job of preventing anything from being visible via the slits in the sides of the garment.

I closed my eyes for a very brief second to collect myself before coming to a pretty straightforward conclusion.

When I had thought she was beautiful earlier, I had understated the point. Beautiful failed to adequately grasp, or even accurately describe the woman, who was in the process of sharing some joke with Robin and Chrom who were shaking their heads in amusement. Gorgeous was closer, but still remained underwhelming.

Before I had time to come up with the correct english words, the woman broke away from Robin and Chrom moving towards me.

I gulped again as I found myself transfixed by the way she just glided towards me, the borderline unnatural grace of the movement totally captivating.

She stopped before me, our eyes locking, and her lips parting in a brilliant smile. "Mar-Mar?" There was utter delight in her eyes, coupled with shock. Before I could really formulate a response she pulled me into a tight hug, which made it painfully obvious that the manakete I had known in the form of a twelve year old girl had matured in a woman.

\--

"What happened?" Next I knew, I was lying in a bed. As I sat up, I realized that Robin was leaning against the door, while Lucina leaned against a nearby wall. Chrom was sitting in a chair, and seemed to be recovering from chuckling.

"What happened? "Chrom's eyes seemed to light up in delight. "You passed out is what!" He started laughing again. I frowned.

Passed out? What? Why had I…. oh. Right. The mental image of Tiki, years upon years older than she had been last I saw her, and infinitely more beautiful.

"And now he remembers." Chrom continued to laugh, shaking his head. "Who knew, the vaunted Hero King passed out from a hug!" I glared at him.

"Father, be nice." Lucina's chided. "Unless I miss my mark, you were totally clueless, and could have had a woman practically throw herself upon you, and not known what to do."

Chrom spluttered, and Robin added helpfully, "Actually, he quite literally did on a few occasions." Her smirk was wicked. "I practically had to explain everything to him…" She shook her head.

"Robin!" Lucina yelped, obviously not wanting to know. I groaned. In Naga's name, what had I ended up in now?

"What?" Robin's smirk was full blown. "It's true. I mean, at least Marth has half a clue, so I'd say your Father can't exactly give him shit." It was odd, I thought, the way Robin took sides in arguments. She tended to avoid actively saying she supported one person or the other, instead making underhanded jibed at both sides, before make some backhanded show of support. Chrom glared at her, obviously noticing the same thing.

"So let me get this straight." I grumbled. "Tiki, as in the manakete daughter of Naga, who fought with me more than two thousand years ago is, in fact, alive. Not only that, but she has matured from looking like a child, to looking like an adult woman, oh, and by the way, also just so happens to remember me." All of them nodded. Chrom was still grinning way too much. "She just showed up here a short while ago, hugged me, and I passed out." More nods. Dropping back onto the pillows, I groaned. Why me?

"Yes. I'm guessing you want to talk to her." Robin asked. I nodded, mute, not trusting my voice. Lucina moved over, grabbing her father by the arm, and dragging him from the room. Robin paused, giving me a long stare. I suspected she wanted to say something, but she settled for that half smile that was the closest Robin got to gestures of emotional support, and slipped from the room, promising to send Tiki to visit me.

As Robin left, I released a long slow sigh. Lucina and Robin, I think understood exactly what was going through my head better than Chrom, or perhaps Chrom did in his own way and way just trying to distract me. It was hard to say with the Ylissean Exalt.

Robin though, she, as always knew more than she let on. I didn't think there existed a situation capable of surprising that woman, as she seemed to have a plan for quite literally everything. During one of my late night chats with Severa, which had taken on much happier note in recent days, I had asked if there was ever a time when Robin didn't have a plan. The young woman had quite seriously replied, If Robin doesn't have a plan for it, then it isn't going to happen. Which had made me chuckle.

Then, reality hit home. I wasn't really alone. There was someone who did share my burden, my past, at least parts of it, and had lived the wars I had lived. Not to mention she just so happened to have turned into one of, if not the, most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

"Marth?" Tiki stepped through the door, moving gingerly, an expression on her face that suggested she wasn't sure exactly what to say. Her eyes were guarded, a far cry from the bright innocent eyes of the Manakete who stood by my side to slay the Dark Dragon twice. Then again, she had lived two thousand years.

"Hello Tiki." I tried to smile, but I suspected the expression failed. More memories came rushing back, memories of war and screams, of blood and death. Memories of love and life as well, and then death and loss. Something must have showed in my eyes, for her expression fell a bit. "I…"Words just sort of failed. What the hell was I supposed to say?

Tiki, at least seemed to understand, her smile returning a bit, and she sat on the side of the bed, placing a hand over mine. "It's been many years." She whispered.

"I suspect moreso for you than me." I pointed out. Her lips quirked.

"Yes." A simple word, which carried so much weight. The weight of loss. I knew that after the second war, Tiki had been place in that enchanted sleep again. I had been less than impressed what I leaned of the decision, but I was no place to argue with a god. Who knows how many years later she had woken to find out all of us had died.

I opened my mouth to apologize, but stopped myself. What good was an apology? "Has Robin told you what she thinks happened?" I asked instead.

Tiki shrugged. "Robin says that no one knows." Her reply was dry, the tone suggestiong that she and Robin had exchanged words over the issue. "I asked of Naga myself to no avail, and Grima gave Robin no answers. Robin herself has no idea, which leaves very few explanations." Tiki paused. "How are you doing?"

We both knew that there were layers of the question. How was I adapting to what had happened? How was I physically, in terms of health? How was I mentally? Was I feeling any sort of effects from the random time traveling?

"I'm…..mostly okay." I replied. Tiki frowned. "It's been hard." I whispered. "It was like going from one tragedy to another." Tiki's head tilted to the side in this way that was undeniably cute. My heart wrenched.

"One tragedy to another?" Her voice was soft, and I could watch the gears turning in her mind. "Oh Mar-Mar." She whispered her fingers wrapped around my own. I wasn't sure how Tiki knew, but I knew she did.

"It was all so unexpected" I murmured. "The winter was harder than unusual, and she fell ill with a cold that just would not pass. We tried everything. Herbal remedies, the greatest of magic's, even just time, all failed." Tears formed in Tiki's eyes, as she worked out where this was going. "It was the first day of spring, the sun was shining, the day pristine. Almost as though nature itself would mock me." Her grip was tight upon my hand as I spoke.

She didn't say any words. She didn't have too. Tiki had dealt with the very pain that wracked my soul a thousand times worse. Her fingers wrapped about my own hand, her skin burning hot against mine. After a long hesitation, she leaned forwards, and pulled me into a hug. Her warmth reminded me of someone else, holding me as I screamed in the night, the images of death and blood, and a monster standing up on a mountain of corpses finally becoming too much.

For the second time since I had arrived in this place, so far out of my own time, on the wings of death, I began to weep.

\--

Tiki and I stepped out of the room face to face with Lucina and Robin. Neither of them gave any comment about the tears that no doubt crisscrossed my cheeks, or the wet splotches from the same on Tiki's tunic. Robin mumbled a spell, placing her hand upon Tiki's shoulder, causing the splotches to simply fade away.

Robin's eyes met mine, and she gave a bit of a nod before turning, and giving Lucina a significant look. There was a feeling that some sort of conversation took place, before Lucina gave a bit of a sad smile, and a nod.

"Robin?" Tiki asked, obviously getting the same feeling of an unspoken conversation. Said woman shrugged.

"Come on." She gestured, without answering the question. "Lucina will occupy the rest of them." Tiki and I both shrugged, following Robin, up the stairs of the castle, before we arrived in the room that passed for Robin's office. I only felt the magic that clicked the door shut.

"Robin?" Tiki asked. I shivered a bit at the intensity of Robin's expression. The tone of Tiki's voice didn't help. While not quite accusing, it was sharper than normal.

"I take great pride in having a plan for quite literally every single eventually." Robin began. "In total fairness, I had considered the idea that you," She gestured at me, "Were the Marth from her," She gestured at Tiki, "past, but I had discounted the idea, mostly because, in retrospect, I don't know." Robin threw her hands up. "That isn't true. I discounted it, because nothing in history speaks of any of your companions Marth, so it seemed to make sense that you weren't the same Marth that Tiki knew."

Tiki seemed to consider Robin for a long time. "Hence why you didn't tell me the Marth had appeared." The tone of the question was neutral, but I recognized it from when I had known Tiki. In those days, the little manakete had been less than amused when we had tried to exclude her from things we considered 'adult', before we realized that she was older than the entire army combined. Such a tone did not bode well.

Robin, it seemed knew the same, and gave a bit of a nod. "Having seen the after effects of me essentially dying to ensure Grima stayed buried had on Lucina, it seemed less than wise to get your hopes up, and then have it not be the same Marth you knew." Tiki scowled, but nodded, obviously understanding Robin's logic, but less than happy about it.

"And, I'm guessing is the same reason Tiki was never mentioned to me." I filled in. Robin gave a bit of a nod, closing her eyes for a time.

"Yes." She shrugged. "You two are the only people to honestly and truly surprise the crap out of me in quite a while." I saw a flash of amusement cross Tiki's face.

"I'm not sure I like that comparison." Her tone was mostly teasing. Robin shrugged.

"You are much more appealing to look at than Grima, I assure you. Far better conversation partner as well." Robin's reply was immediate and dry. Tiki gave her a halfhearted glare.

"I'm afraid I'm missing something." I slipped into the conversation, finding the odd dynamic between Robin and Tiki amusing. Although I had occasionally heard passing references to their war, and the mysterious being known as Grima, I had never pressed for details and thus found myself quite lost.

"Grima was, at least as close as we can tell, a manakete at one point, who suffered the mental degeneration of my kin." Tiki replied.

"Totally insane, stupidly magically powerful, and ugly has hell." Robin agreed, her eyes glittering with suppressed mirth. "How the devil something that ugly can come from the same general lineage that produced her?" Robin waved a hand towards Tiki. "One of the many unsolved mysteries of the world."

I blinked. Tiki blushed a bit out of the corner of my eye. "I've told you before Robin-" Tiki started, and Robin just cut he off.

"And I told you before as well. You're wrong." Robin pointed out, a glint of mischief in her eyes that made me wary. "Just ask him, since apparently my word isn't worth anything, or Lucina, Or Chrom. Or-" Robin seemed content to go on, but Tiki cut her off.

"Exactly what are you trying to prove Robin?" She demanded.

"I believe she is attempting to prove the point that you are, in fact exceptionally beautiful." I filled in, before realizing what I had said, and probably turning completely red. Robin's expression reminded me of her's on one particular day.

Tiki for her part only blushed lightly, a small smile crossing her face. For a moment, I thought there was something else there, but it vanished.

"Quite right." In that moment, I knew I had given something away to Robin, although what I might have told her, I hadn't a clue.

"I'm never going to win that argument am I." Tiki observed, her expression a bit amused, a bit resigned. Robin smirked, giving a small shrug.

"Nope." She stood. "I probably should go save Lucina from the others." She swept from the room, leaving me feeling more and more like there was something I was missing. My only consolation was that Robin wasn't my enemy.

"She is up to something." I mused. Tiki giggled a bit, a sound that did nothing to diminish the otherworldly feeling she exuded.

"Of course she is." Tiki's amusement was obvious. "And you'll never catch her on it, unless you can convince Lucina." I gave her a questioning glance. "Lucina is the only person who can ever catch Robin out in her scheming, even Chrom can't anymore. Lucky for most of us, Robin's scheming and planning is usually limited to embarrassing noblemen who get overly friendly with Lucina, or terrifying the occasional war monger into submission."

"As opposed to?" I found myself unsure how to respond. Tiki shrugged.

"As opposed to meddling in people's lives." She replied. "Which given how powerful she is, wouldn't even be difficult." That made me frown. There it was again, a vague reference to Robin being more powerful than anyone else. I knew she was a beyond expert swordswoman, but had seen little to indicate she was so incredibly powerful. This must have showed, because Tiki gave a sad smile. "Robin was supposed to be as to Grima as Gharnef was to Medeus."

My blood ran cold. Suddenly, the vague references to Robin's power made much more sense. In a strange way, so did Lucina borrowing my name, in a sense. Tiki's expression was quite serious.

"Even I don't really know how powerful Robin is. Only Morgan and Lucina have a guess, I think, and I suspect for very good reason, they don't talk about it." I nodded a bit.

"Lucina has occasionally made references to Robin dying?" I probed a bit, as the two of us started making out way back through the castle.

Tiki's expression darkened momentarily. "Yes." There was a pause. "Medeus was not a god, in any sense of the word, although he was tremendously powerful. Grima, on the other hand was every bit as godlike as Naga is." Again, I shivered. "Robin, her daughter, and Lucina fought Grima, while the rest of us dealt with his followers."

I had a brief realization that the strategy was much the same as we had used against Medeues. She and I had fought him alone, while the rest had held the lines. Tiki's expression was distant.

"I did not see what happened clearly, and by the time we realized the battle was over, Naga had moved us to safety."

"I believe I called Robin every horrible thing possible." Lucina fell into step next to us. "Repeatedly." I glanced over at the woman who seemed to have filled my shoes in this time. "Which was nothing on what Morgan threatened to do, and then followed through on."

Tiki hand snapped around. "Morgan actually did that?"

Lucina gave a sharp nod, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. I had no idea what threats Morgan had delivered to her mother, but knowing a little bit of the strange young woman, I felt a great deal of fear.

\--

It was late that night when I found myself sitting up on the roof of the castle again, like I always seemed to end up since arriving here.

The sky was, appropriately, I supposed, overcast. The only light on the entire room was the dim glow of Falchion, which I had laid on the stonework before me, although, I could not see the dim illumination, as I gazed into the sky.

"Something is on your mind." Morgan's voice was unusually serious, as she slipped out of the darkness, and into my field of vision.

I didn't answer, staying lost in my thoughts. Faces of my old companions danced behind my eyes, memories as well swirled around.

"You have the same look Lucina did when Mom died." Morgan mused, and I almost expected her to make some remark about irony. "You're better at hiding it than she was, I guess, but it's all there." The silence between us stretched again, as Morgan sat down at the edge of the dim circle of light.

"I see a lot of me in Lucina, and your Mother sometimes." I whispered. "So I suppose that doesn't surprise me." For a long time we were silent again, and Morgan didn't respond. "Especially when I listen to the others talk about them during your war." Again, the silence dragged on.

"Mom says that sometimes." Morgan murmured after a time. "That there is much of you in Lucina. She doesn't think that the two of you have much in common." I chuckled a bit.

"I cannot read the people around me like your mother can, or plan a thousand moves ahead in a game as she does, but there are some things we both do very similar."

Morgan considered, and then gave a long sigh, as though something became clear. Much like her mother earlier in the day, I got the feeling I had given her knowledge of something. I'm guessing there was some tell on my face as Morgan sighed again.

"Loss leaves marks on the soul." She whispered. "All of us just bears those marks differently. You bear those scars deep inside, hide them as best you can." Morgan explained, her voice patient, and rippling for her own sorrows.

I flinched. How the hell had she figured that out so quickly?

Again, memories of porcelain skin, far too pale, eyes closed, hands clasped as if in silent prayer.

"Yes." I whispered. "Losing someone you love will destroy your soul, slowly, from the inside out." I paused, unsure why I was even saying some of this. "We humans fall in love easily, and forget very seldom." Morgan didn't speak, just listening. I found myself grateful. "It took me a long time to fully realize I had, and I spent enough time making an ass of myself before managing to admit such to myself. And then…."

I trailed off. Talking to Tiki had reopened some of those wounds, but I still wasn't really willing to honestly admit everything about that to myself.

"Two wars took a tremendous toll on her." I mused aloud. "On all of us, I suppose, but on her more than most." I shrugged. "The second war more than the first. Timing was inopportune to the extreme, and then the emotional toll continued to rise." Tears were starting to from in the corners of my eyes, and I blinked them away. "Then the second war ended, and I think we all wanted to go back to our lives, and ignore just how battered we were."

Morgan made a noise of agreement. "We did much of the same." She admitted. "I think it just sort of happens, after a while." I nodded a bit.

"Yes. And then the results of that action caught up with us." I sighed. "She fell ill and never recovered."

Morgan's breath sucked in.

"Less than a month later, I woke up here, in a field with you, Chrom and your Mother standing over me." Morgan gave a bit of a nod.

"Mother said as much." Her eyes were bright, and I realized suddenly what I had revealed to Robin, or rather confirmed. "She knew you had lost someone, actually guessed that your wife died."

I sat up sharply, just staring in muted disbelief. How the hell had Robin figured that out? I knew the woman was sharp, and so observant that it was scary, but damn. How the devil had she pulled that off?

"I see." I mused, considering how Robin and Chrom had interacted with me then. Neither had asked questions, and I had occasionally seen the look I now knew to mean Robin was uncomfortable with something flash across her face. As if she didn't know how to handle the situation. In retrospect, it made sense that Robin had read me like a book from the beginning. The woman was, it seemed a bona fide genius.

"Yeah." Morgan gave a bit of a chuckle. "That's kinda what I said the first time I figured out one of Mom's insane plans." Morgan eyes had a bizarre sort of shine in the light of the Falchion. "I haven't seen my mother completely serious often since the end of the war, really, but when you appeared, she was completely serious." There was a long silence. "Enough about my Mother being a cheating bitch," The sudden shift back to the usually cheerful and erratic Morgan was jarring, "Tell me about her."

It was easy to know what Morgan was talking about. My chest twisted again as I considered Morgan's words.

"She was the sort of person I don't think I'll ever meet again." I started talking, unsure what I was even doing. "She found good in people that I most certainly could not."

I did not appear from my room the next day, instead opting to watch over the castle, and think.

She would have told me I was brooding. And she wouldn't have been wrong, I knew, intrinsically. I was brooding, a bit, after spending hours of the night talking to Morgan. I was not sure what about Robin's daughter, with her wild changes in mood, made her such an ideal person to talk about such things too. Once I had started, everything just poured out.

Now, though, with the fog of bottled memories, some others drifted back.

_I suspected she hadn't realized I was awake. She as always up far earlier than I, and I had to try very hard not to frown when I realized she was only wearing the thin nightgown she had gone to sleep in._

_She coughed, a hacking sound, and spat up coming into the sink. I winced, and she swore._

_"Getting worse." Her voice was unusually raspy as well. "Damnit all. I'm sorry Marth." I didn't move, just listening. "I…." She trailed off, as though not willing to admit something. "I can feel it getting worse day by day."_

_My breath caught in my throat. No. I knew what she was implying, how could I not, but it wasn't something I wanted to consider. I shifted, trying to roll over in the manner of someone tossing in their sleep._

_My wife was dying. It was a reality that had been probably long in coming, I knew, something I should have accepted a long time ago, but still, I could not. How the hell was I supposed to accept that someone I cared dearly about was slowly dying?_

_There was the soft rasp of her steps made me tense beneath the covers, before I forced myself to relax. I couldn't let her know I was awake. That was a conversation I wasn't ready for._

_"Oh Marth…." Her tone was sad. "I wish this wasn't how it had to be." There was a long silence, and she brought her hand to rest on my shoulder._

_Her skin, as always was blazing, a stark contrast to my own usually frigid cold. Sometimes that was the only thing that helped me slip back to sleep after my nightmares, her steady, unrelenting warmth. Although I would never admit it to her father, or to Marcus, her warmth was sometimes the only thing that kept me coming back from battle in the wars._

_"I pray that my fears aren't true but…" The pause hung heavy on us both. "If I do….please don't bear yourself down mourning for me. Remember how to fall in love again."_

I jerked from my memories with a gasp, and tumbled from the chair I was in. The stones floor was cold as I tried to still my heart, without much success.

"What the hell was that?" I whispered. I couldn't remember that day ever happening, but at the same time, it seemed far too vividly real to be anything else. Also, the words seemed like something she would have said.

I groaned, rubbing my temples before righting the chair, and sitting down again. A knock at my door prevented me from thinking much more.

"Come in!" The door opened slowly, and Tiki floated into the room. As the previous day, her otherworldly grace was entrancing, something I suspected would never change. "Tiki." I smiled a bit at her. She returned the smile I bit hesitantly.

"Marth. Are you alright? No one has seen you all day?" She seemed quite concerned, and equally unsure how to express it.

"Just thinking." I replied, my tone neutral. Tiki frowned, and I knew she was far too worldly to be fooled by such a thin excuse. "I rather lost track of time." That seemed to placate her a bit, although I had the suspicion she knew more was going on.

"Oh." There was a pause.

I wasn't sure what prompted me to say what spilled from my mouth. "I was about to take a walk, for a change of scenery, if you want to come?" That got me a bit of a smile, and I had to wonder what had prompted me to say anything.

"Alright." She nodded, and so, I found myself walking through the castle courtyards with Tiki .

"What have you been doing since then?" I asked her, as I had become rather curious.

Tiki sighed. "I have slept for most of the intervening time, before waking up only relatively recently." I hid a wince. That had to hurt, waking up centuries after all your friends had died, all alone. "Since then, I have been known as the Voice of Naga."

I nodded a bit. Lucina referred to Tiki as such on occasion. "Sounds like a rather lonely existence." I admitted, shuddering. I had barely lived after she died. I couldn't imagine how Tiki ended up.

"It is the curse of my kind." She admitted. "And those similarly blessed by the Divine, I suspect." She shrugged a bit. "Loss and loneliness is something I had to become used to." I shuddered. "I've slept most of my years away, so it doesn't burn as much as it might."

"Still." I shook my head. "I can't imagine living like that." I admitted, my thoughts turning to her again.

"You learn." Tiki gave me a bit of a smile, stopping beneath one of the larger trees in the gardens. "And adapt." She motioned for me to sit, and I did. Tiki shifted, sitting smoothly opposite, me, the motion, like every single other thing she did, was unerringly fluid.

"So, what are you actually after?" I asked, knowing that something was up. There was no direct line of thinking that gave it away, just a feeling, and I had learned to trust my feelings.

Tiki shrugged, a motion that drew attention to her chest, and I found myself tearing my eyes away quickly. "Just wanted to make sure you are okay. You tended to get very wrapped up in your brooding, and no one else seemed likely to drag you out of it. I think they are scared of you."

That made me laugh a bit. "Scare of me?" I repeated. Tiki nodded, a small smirk forming.

"Some of them. Robin just seemed alright to let you brood, and Morgan just seemed sad." I nodded. That made sense to me, especially given I had talked to Morgan all night.

"Not sure why. They are all just as skilled as I am." I argued. Tiki giggled a bit.

"They are scared of your legend Marth." She pointed out. "You are a larger than life figure to most of them, someone straight out of history. It is only logical that they are a bit wary of you. Add to that, you do live up to the legends of your skill in battle, being able to match the greatest warriors they know."

"I'm nothing special." I objected. Tiki smiled a bit more, and seemed to hesitate a moment.

"Don't ever change Mar-Mar." She told me, leaning forwards, and kissing me, quickly.

Before I had a chance to really respond, she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little later than intended, because life happens. Final chapter should be transported over here by the end of the week.

**Author's Note:**

> Getting this up here, alongside on FFN. Next couple chapters should be up in the next couple of days.


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